A big win in many ways

A huge win for a young team yesterday afternoon. This was the kind of game we lost last year. A team supposedly better playing at home and we are down in the fourth quarter. Last year that's a recipe for a loss, might as well turn the tv off. But not this year, the Bucs are playing like winners this year and confidence can overcome some shortcomings. A huge win when you realize it came after a out and out beating 2 weeks ago in our last game. To be able to put that behind you and come out a play tough on the road and give yourself the chance to win a ballgame, that's big going forward. Josh Freeman is looking more and more like the stability in the QB position we haven't had since...forever. The kid has a calmness in the pocket and seems to feel the rush. I like that he's able to stand in there and deliver the ball or take off if the lanes open up. He doesn't have happy feet back there. And the arm is big time. Some of those throws yesterday were outstanding. But he still has room to grow which is the exciting part. The running game didn't look great (minus 1 Earnest Graham run), but I like that we didn't abandon it, like we did so much in the Gruden era. Defense looked pretty sharp, of course it helped with Carson Palmer throwing the ball all around. Still need to work on the 1 big play a game and the front 7 wearing down at the end. The main thing to take away from this game was the way we won it. To march down the field and tie it up when you knew it was do or die against a good defense was awesome to see. And then when we scored and left a little over a minute for the Bengals the defense cranked it up. Gave up a couple good pass plays, but then tightened up and forced the pick. I see this as a stepping stone and hopefully the boys in pewter will continue to grow as a complete team and we'll see how it all turns out in December.

Your soldiers are nothing, Matrix and I could kill every one of them, at the blink of an eye - you remember that. - Bennett

I try not to listen to all the hype around rookies until I see them play a little. There have been a ton of sure things that don't pan out. Mike Williams is living up to the preseason hype. They really need to find a RB who will be consistent and this team could do some damage. I like Freeman too. Kid has some moxie.

Huge win for the Bucs. The Bengals played 57 1/2 minutes, the Bucs played 60. They could have easily given up at the end, and walked away saying 'we played a division winner close, on the road and we're 2-2', but they kept playing after the Bengals had already chalked up the win. I still don't see the Bucs in the post-season, but if they are you point to this game as one where a young team started to grow up.

I try not to listen to all the hype around rookies until I see them play a little. There have been a ton of sure things that don't pan out. Mike Williams is living up to the preseason hype. They really need to find a RB who will be consistent and this team could do some damage. I like Freeman too. Kid has some moxie.

Freeman is a Player, Williams is a Baller but it not so much as it is the running backs but so much the O-line.. the O-line has been playing like crap so far..Former Bucs guard Ian Beckles made a good points today. He said the "Bucs are not a physical team and are ripe to be exposed more in future games yet are thriving off their mentality.

“It doesn’t matter. They think they can win. And that’s half the battle sometimes,"

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Huge win for the Bucs. The Bengals played 57 1/2 minutes, the Bucs played 60. They could have easily given up at the end, and walked away saying 'we played a division winner close, on the road and we're 2-2', but they kept playing after the Bengals had already chalked up the win. I still don't see the Bucs in the post-season, but if they are you point to this game as one where a young team started to grow up.

In the NFC, I think the Bucs have a fair shot at the playoffs - look at the division they are in: The dead in the water Panthers, a Saints team who thinks it's still last year, and a Falcons team that thier own coach said 'We could easily be 4-0 and we could easily be 0-4. If they were in the AFC, yes, I'd agree, but in the NFC, the Bucs have a real chance, if they keep playing the way they are now.

Saints at Tampa Bay, we'll find out more about the Bucs this week than last.

And if the Bucs are able to beat the Saints, where do we see this team? Are they a potential playoff team that is getting better week by week? Or are they a team that was lucky to get the defending Super Bowl champs when they are not playing well? And if we lose are we nothing more than a team that beats bad teams or are we a good team that ran into a Saints team with a real chip on their shoulder after last week?

Your soldiers are nothing, Matrix and I could kill every one of them, at the blink of an eye - you remember that. - Bennett